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BOOM!!!

Without any prior warning, a thunderous explosion ripped through the bustling ticket hall the instant Bokue's words left his lips.

As the proverb goes: First the flash of cold steel—then the spear rushes forth like a roaring dragon.

In a blur, two figures shot through the massive tempered-glass panoramic windows lining the station, sending shattered glass raining down as they burst onto the street outside.

The scene could've been straight out of a DC blockbuster—two Kryptonians brawling in midair, each casual leap covering dozens, even hundreds of yards.

A distance ordinary people would spend over a minute driving through vanished in the blink of an eye as the pair, propelled by immense power, disappeared from view into mere specks for the stunned crowd still standing within the ticket hall.

❁❁❁❁

Scene shift.

Bokue soared through the air like a streaking comet above Tokyo's busy streets.

Looking down, he glimpsed cars lined bumper-to-bumper on the roads below, drivers waiting patiently at the traffic lights. Yet, from his perspective, the cars seemed to zip backwards, the entire world reversed as if he were watching a movie rewind.

Pressed firmly against Bokue's chest was a gleaming silver spear etched with vivid emerald patterns. Its tip aimed unerringly toward his heart, relentlessly pushing him backwards like an ancient siege ram. Roaring winds howled fiercely past his ears, mingling with the angry battle cry from the spear's wielder:

"How many more villagers do you have to kill before you're finally satisfied, Bokue!? Ten years ago, wasn't slaughtering so many innocent people enough for you? And now, even Mr. Shiba—!"

"Huh? Honestly, I have no clue what you're talking about."

Utterly indifferent to the deadly weapon thrust against his chest, Bokue casually dug a finger into his ear, letting the wind whisk away any lingering dirt beneath his fingernail.

A slightly wicked grin curled his lips.

"But never mind all that—since it's been so long since we last met, how about I see if you've improved at all?"

With that, Bokue abruptly reached forward, grabbing the spear lodged against his chest with his bare hand—utterly unconcerned by its razor-sharp tip—and swung the weapon along with the warrior gripping it straight around in a devastating arc.

What the—!?

Suddenly spinning out of control, Takashi Hayase felt like laundry trapped in a violently tumbling washing machine.

One moment he was charging forward; the next, an unstoppable force twisted and flung him downward. When his vision cleared slightly, the sight of Bokue's shrinking figure quickly revealed a grim truth:

He was plummeting rapidly toward the ground.

Frantically realizing his dire predicament, Takashi barely had time to even think about using his wind-elemental control for cushioning. Twisting his head around, he urgently scanned his landing point—

A circular plaza sprawled before an office building beneath him. Thankfully, it was empty of pedestrians.

Good—at least no innocent bystanders would be harmed—

But just as this relieved thought crossed his mind and he prepared his body for impact, a familiar voice unexpectedly whispered right into his ear:

"Oh ho? Interesting. So now, even during a fight with me, you're still able to worry about bystanders, huh? You've grown up a bit, Takashi."

!!!?

Before Takashi's startled brain could fully process this new development, his instincts took over, crossing both arms protectively in front of his chest—

But it proved utterly useless.

THUD!!

A thunderous shockwave boomed like a muffled explosion as Bokue's fist landed squarely upon Takashi's crossed arms—seemingly ordinary, yet terrifyingly powerful. The sheer force visibly rippled outward through the air from their point of contact.

In that instant, Takashi felt precisely what it must be like to get blindsided by a speeding bullet train at full tilt.

A moment later—

"Guaaaah—!!"

Without a shred of resistance, a fountain of blood violently burst from Takashi's mouth.

Hurtling downward even faster, he crashed like a meteorite through the metal sculpture centered in the plaza, smashing straight into the decorative fountain below. The marble surface shattered into a jagged crater, deep spiderweb cracks stretching outward in every direction.

Beneath, ruptured water pipes erupted, spraying clear streams high into the air. Soon, the once neat plaza flooded into a muddy pool, the entire area descending into chaos.

Gurgle—

SPLASH!!

Moments later, a thoroughly drenched and battered figure exploded out from beneath the water's surface. Midair, he spun skillfully, landing shakily on his feet with spear still tightly in hand.

"Huff... huff..."

Takashi gasped harshly, thick mud-stained water dripping off him in dirty rivulets, quickly forming a large puddle at his feet. Even his short green hair was plastered miserably to his scalp.

That single punch had severely damaged his internal organs—he was now operating at barely seventy percent of his normal strength. Meanwhile, Bokue—despite receiving Takashi's full-powered spear strike earlier—didn't even have a scratch.

This guy... He really did kill Mr. Shiba...

Dammit—I should've anticipated something like this!

Internally cursing his rash decision to charge headlong into this battle without proper preparation, Takashi felt genuine regret. He'd rushed blindly out of anger over Shiba's death and now faced grim consequences.

At this weakened state, defeating Bokue was nearly impossible—his only remaining chance now was...

"Ah, now that you mention it, I just noticed something."

Bokue's calm voice drifted over as he landed casually nearby, nodding toward Takashi's spear with a raised eyebrow.

"That weapon you're holding, it's 'Byakko,' the White Tiger, if I recall correctly. That old village chief really is cautious—not only sending along his precious 'Former Strongest,' but also handing over the village's most treasured spear for your personal use."

"..."

What was he implying? Was this mockery?

Takashi didn't bother pondering the meaning behind the taunt. For him, verbal battles meant nothing compared to the result of actual combat.

But Bokue continued calmly, eyes narrowing slightly:

"Still... if I remember correctly, Byakko—as the divine beast guardian of the West—is strongest when facing East. Conversely, when facing West, its power drops dramatically..."

He knocked lightly on his forehead with his knuckles, then shrugged with a playful smirk.

"Well then, to save you from complaining that your loss was unfair..."

Without finishing his sentence, Bokue deliberately turned ninety degrees counterclockwise, placing himself with his back toward the East—intentionally presenting Takashi the advantage.

Then he gestured provocatively.

"Come on, then."

"..."

Pure, blatant provocation...

Takashi had long convinced himself words meant nothing, that pride was meaningless compared to genuine victory. Yet seeing Bokue's arrogant, nonchalant posture reignited the bitterness and rage that had simmered unresolved for a decade.

"You damned bastard...!"

Roaring furiously, Takashi raised his spear high overhead, drawing forth every last ounce of his strength as he charged forward at unprecedented speed.

But all this earned was a slightly raised eyebrow and mildly amused reaction from Bokue:

"You actually had the guts to attack, huh?"

A swift counterpunch sent him immediately flying back again.

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